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80s Multimedia
March 2007 In some ways this page is now a little redundant given the advent of YouTube, but what I will be doing is uploading this material (and more) to YouTube so that if you would prefer to look at it there you can do. See this page for progress so far.
For, ah, "technical reasons" (!) in order to watch the other clips here you'll need to right click on the image of the series you're interested in, select "save target as" and rename the file so that it ends in .wmv rather than .sfxb. The clips are in Windows Media Video format which is a streaming format but there were bandwidth issues with them streaming (ironically!), which is why I'm making you download them instead. Enjoy! If you're looking for Star Fleet clips, then you need this page. Whenever possible the entries have links related to the series. More information below. Any problems, let me know - you'll need a reasonably modern version of Windows Mediaplayer to watch the files.
Action Force
Size: 1.4MB
Duration: 0m 49s
Link: External
SFXB says: Stemming from the GI Joe toy line in the States, the UK got the rebranded Action Force toys and cartoon...
Battle of the Planets
Size: 2.5MB
Duration: 1m 29s
Link: External
SFXB says: Transmute! BOTP is currently available on DVD - have a look!
Bravestarr
Size: 3.5MB
Duration: 1m 19s
Link: External
SFXB says: Eyes of the hawk, ears of the wolf, strength of the bear, speed of the puma!
Care Bears 2
Size: 2MB
Duration: 1m 16s
Link: External
SFXB says: This trailer appeared on a tape for another series, and, well, it's 80s, isn't it?! Out now on DVD - have a look!
Centurions
Size: 1.5MB
Duration: 0m 58s
Link: Internal
SFXB says: Power Xtreme! Nice animation in the intro, shame the standard didn't stay quite so high in the actual cartoon.
COPS
Size: 2MB
Duration: 1m 15s
Link: External
SFXB says: "Central Organisation of Police Specialists". Acronym-tastic!
Defenders of the Earth
Size: 1.7MB
Duration: 1m 0s
Link: External
SFXB says: A curious one this; Flash Gordon combined with other heroes of yesteryear like the Phantom - plus their kids! Out on DVD in the UK.
Dogtanian + 3 Muskehounds
Size: 3MB
Duration: 1m 50s
Link: External
SFXB says: One for all and all for one, Muskehounds are always ready! Come on, sing along now kids! Out on DVD in the UK.
Dungeons and Dragons
Size: 2.5MB
Duration: 1m 00s
Link: Internal
SFXB says: Annoying unicorns aside, a top role playing series! Out on DVD in the UK.
Fraggle Rock
Size: 3MB
Duration: 1m 09s
Link: External
SFXB says: Let the music play! Worry's for another day... Out on DVD in the UK.
Galaxy Rangers
Size: 1.7MB
Duration: 1m 03s
Link: External
SFXB says: Not a series I'd seen before, but impressive animation; the concept reminds me of the Bravestarr cartoon a little. Out on DVD in the UK.
Get Along Gang
Size: 1.7 MB
Duration: 1m 01s
Link: External
SFXB says: Yes, it's another gratuitously cute fluffy cartoon I'm afraid but couldn't... resist... the... music...
Gobots
Size: 1.2MB
Duration: 0m 42s
Link: External
SFXB says: Gobots go botty! As Timmy Mallet of TV-AM's Wacaday used to introduce them. Tonka's precursor to the Transformers toys.
He-Man
Size: 1.9MB
Duration: 1m 07s
Link: External
SFXB says: This is the intro from the original He-Man series, complete with Cringer/Battlecat and the ever annoying Orko! Out on DVD in the UK.
Inspector Gadget
Size: 2.0MB
Duration: 1m 10s
Link: External
SFXB says: Go-go Gadget-Nostalgia! I've never seen the live action film - this, of course, is the version that created the franchise back in the 80s. Out on DVD in the UK.
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
Size: 2.2MB
Duration: 1m 19s
Link: Internal
SFXB says: I always thought it was "monster vines" they were up against, not "monster minds"! Nice ship, nice vehicles, nice cartoon.
MASK
Size: 1.7MB
Duration: 0m 59s
Link: External
SFXB says: Working overtime, fighting crime! Classic toy tie in this one, and not one but two cheese-tastic characters! Out on DVD in the UK.
Muppet Babies
Size: 2.5MB
Duration: 1m 01s
Link: External
SFXB says: I suspect this didn't tie in with the series, or Kermit growing up in a swamp, but the characters are very much themselves!
Mysterious Cities
of Gold
Size: 4MB
Duration: 1m 43s
Link: External
SFXB says: Yes, it did end eventually, and yes, it is a crime that it hasn't had an official (English) release since!
The Perils of Penelope Pitstop
Size: 1.7 MB
Duration: 1m 02s
Link: External
SFXB says: An escapee from the Wacky Races and actually an older cartoon than I thought - but it's an 80s memory for me, so...
The Real Ghostbusters
Size: 1.6MB
Duration: 0m 58s
Link: External
SFXB says: Although there was some merchandising, the series stuck quite closely to its Hollywood roots and the stories were well done. Out on DVD in the UK.
She-Ra
Size: 3MB
Duration: 1m 08s
Link: External
SFXB says: He-Man's twin sister... on another world/universe? Must... suspend... disbelief! Not one I was into, but Hordak had a cool gun arm thang going on, so...!
SilverHawks
Size: 2.0MB
Duration: 1m 13s
Link: External
SFXB says: Another one that passed me by, but has been mentioned by others. It seems tied to Thundercats - same voice actors and similar transforming big baddie etc...
The Space Sentinels
Size: 1.6MB
Duration: 0m 58s
Link: External
SFXB says: One of my very, very earliest cartoon memories this one - along with the likes of Space Ghost, probably very early mornings on ITV. This one will decide your age!
Spiral Zone
Size: 1.6MB
Duration: 1m 0s
Link: External
SFXB says: More of the result of a mention elsewhere this one which I managed to get on video. Perhaps bigger in the States?
Starcom
Size: 2.2MB
Duration: 1m 20s
Link: External
SFXB says: Very, erm, yankee doodle dandee this one! However, although I didn't get any, I do remember quite fancying the toys that accompanied this series.
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
Size: 1.6MB
Duration: 0m 59s
Link: External
SFXB says: Just about in the 80s, and pretty mainstream, yet they seem to have been forgotten quite rapidly. Just don't call them "Ninjas" kids!
Thunderbirds 2086
Size: 2.9MB
Duration: 1m 43s
Link: Internal
SFXB says: Bit of a question mark over the degree of Anderson linkage, but an interesting show nevertheless.
Thundercats
Size: 2.0MB
Duration: 1m 13s
Link: Internal
SFXB says: Thundercats are on the move! Thundercats are loose! Hoooooo! Out now on DVD in the UK.
Transformers Series 3
Size: 1MB
Duration: 0m 35s
Link: External
SFXB says: Coming back with a vengeance and available to buy on DVD, this is the intro for the third series of Transformers set after the Movie.
Ulysses 31
Size: 3MB
Duration: 1m 52s
Link: Internal
SFXB says: Well remembered by many people, and a classic cartoon in every sense of the word - quite surreal at times, too, but then, it is French! Out on DVD in the UK.
Visionaries
Size: 1MB
Duration: 0m 31s
Link: Internal
SFXB says: Knights of the Magical Light! Slight variation on the Arthurian legends, and an interesting mix of magic with technology. Out on DVD in the UK.
February 2006 More new DVD releases - view this video trailer (you may need to download it first) and then go and find out more about the series here! I know, not strictly speaking 80s cartoons, but I think you'll find them appealing!
May 2004 Since first compiling these clips I'm finding that more and more of these shows are now out on DVD in the UK, and I'm keeping a fairly up to date list on my 80s merchandise page as they appear, as well as linking to them off this page as appropriate. They include Dungeons and Dragons, Thundercats
A while ago when I was first getting the hang of digital editing I put together a sequence using several cartoon intro clips whose lyrics suggested others to me; it was a spur of the moment sort of thing but it ended up as quite a coherent experiment! This is in Windows Media Video format without the need to rename - but preferably play it having downloaded it rather than streaming if you can. The quality isn't as good as some of the other clips here because at the time I hadn't figured out the right balance, but you'll get the idea! Download/play here.
This page has caused SFXB's bandwidth to go through the roof, but that may have been down to technical issues - if the problem continues I may need to reduce the number of series covered (Robotech has already bitten the dust!). So, what do I have here? Well, this page draws together all the intros appearing on the individual animated series pages and a few more besides, all "home grown". In order to maximise the number that I can get on the site they're all WMV format - so the quality of the picture can get a little ropey, but the sound is very good.
As a couple of people have asked why they're not here, I've decided to add videos for Transformers and Battle of the Planets. Why the reluctance? Well, both are currently out on DVD! So if the intros whet your appetite, feel free to support SFXB by buying the professionally done full versions! I'm probably going to hit the wall in terms of the number of files I can host shortly, but I've covered a broad spectrum here which includes shows that I didn't watch but which others have mentioned to me.
Although I'm not going to be making full episodes available, what I may do in the future is put together a Video CD of intros which would be better quality than the WMV files up here, and would theoretically be playable on a stand-alone DVD player. If this is something you might like to see, please drop me a line and I'll put some more thought into the project. Also, if you have a fairly short video of a series on an original video which you'd like to preserve digitally for the kids, then I might consider doing a conversion - although my free time would obviously be a limiting factor!
Of course, I'm never going to be able to do as good a job as the professionals in terms of putting old series into a digital format, so do try searching the likes of Amazon and Sendit (formerly BlackStar) (search box for the latter available here) because the odds are that there's been a quiet DVD release of the series you're looking for which the high street stores may simply not be stocking. If you can't think of the name, try asking on the forum or email me as a last resort...!
Last updated 14 December 2013
